Preparing a Passover meal will cost a little less this year, a city Consumer Affairs survey found.

The average price of a Passover food basket at city markets dropped 2 percent this year, from $51.15 to $50, according to the annual survey unveiled yesterday at a Lower East Side supermarket.

“This year’s survey found that store owners did not drive up prices in the weeks leading up to Passover. In fact, overall, prices for most products are down citywide,” said Mayor Giuliani.

The survey, in its 16th year, also found that prices on traditional Passover foods fell 3 percent in the month leading up to the holiday.

“Merchants realize it’s a good way to bring consumers into their markets,” Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jane Hoffman said of the Passover price drop.

Most prices dropped, but the average cost of a five-pound box of matzo was the same as last year at $6.11, the survey found.

Consumer Affairs inspectors tracked prices at 94 markets across the city. Overall, Manhattan, where the average holiday basket cost $57.99, was most expensive. Staten Island, with a grocery bill of $43.72, was cheapest.

The survey also found prices varying widely. Gefilte fish at a D’Agostino’s store in Manhattan cost $6.99 for 24 ounces compared with $1.99 at Pathmark on the Lower East Side.